What Does it Take to Become an ISA Certified Arborist?

Capitol Tree Care takes pride in being locally owned by an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist.  Gaining this certification requires several steps and is reserved for experienced, knowledgeable professionals in the industry. Our owner and Certified Austin Arborist, James Burtchell, has invested years of his life to learning everything he can about arboriculture to provide the best service to his customers possible.

To be considered for certification, applicants must have at least three years of full time experience in the arboriculture industry. This includes working for tree care companies, landscapers, municipalities, or one of several other employers. Documentation proving this work experience must be sent to the ISA prior to moving closer to gaining the distinction of an ISA Certified Arborist.

Applicants must then pass a 200-question exam. This exam covers ten main topics including pruning, tree biology, safe work practices, tree risk management, and more. This is to ensure every applicant that wishes to obtain the certification has a broad knowledge of many topics important to the tree care industry. Test takers have three-and-one-half hours to finish this exam.

Those who pass the exam get their certification for three years’ time. At the end of these three years, they have two options to maintain their distinction. The first is to retake the exam and pass it again. The alternative is to accumulate 30 continuing education units. These units must be related to the ten tested areas from the exam.

Obtaining and maintaining the title of ISA Certified Arborist is an ongoing, time consuming process. At Capitol Tree Care, we invest our time to maintain this certification to provide trusted, professional service to all our customers, large and small. Call us at (512) 913-6833 if to schedule your next tree service in Austin, TX and the surrounding areas from our highly trained professional staff.